Into The Shadows, Aayush Borulkar [animal farm read .txt] 📗

“Yeah, it is okay. Just do not spill it out there,” said Vibha giving Ishaan his coffee mug, and then both left the kitchen to join the others.

As the duo came back into the hall with their coffee mugs, the inspector walked in through the entrance, his shoe making a deep hollow sound.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the reports have come in, and we might be able to solve the case now, and finally we could all go home, and some of you might even end up in jail,” said the inspector as he entered the hall swinging the file in his hand.

What do you mean by ‘some of us might end up in jail’?” questioned Kaajal. “Are you implying that the murderer is one of us?”

“Unfortunately, yes! We have a murderer amongst us,” exclaimed the inspector.

Everybody was taken aback in bewilderment. And soon, the voices of people murmuring to each other filled the room.

“Alright, then let’s get on with this and finish it off,” sighed the inspector. “Where is the housekeeper and his son?” asked the inspector sitting on a chair

“Oh, he must be around. I will call him,” said Abhimanyu.

“Ram Lal! Ram Lal!” yelled Abhimanyu.

Ram Lal came running into the room, followed by his son running behind him.

“Okay, now that we have all the people needed in the room, let’s start with the end,” said the inspector getting up from the chair.

“We all know that we had found strands of hair in the finger nails of the deceased. Hence we collected the DNA samples and tried matching it with the DNA found in the nails and Viola! There was a match!” exclaimed the inspector.

And with that line a dead silence swept across the room as the all of them stood aghast.

“Okay, then let’s come straight to the point,” said the inspector and went up to Ram Lal, pressing the wound on his left hand which was covered by his cloth, he said, “How is the wound healing Ram Lal"?

Chapter 5

There was dead silence. The blades of the fan made the only noise in the living room. There was no stir in the air, and just then there was a gush of hot air from the open door. Everyone stood in silence, and a pale-faced Ram Lal looked at the inspector, and was trying to speak, but his dry mouth failed him every time he tried.

“Tho kaise lagi ye chot,” asked the inspector, but a deafening silence ensued.

“Vo kaach ka bowl tut gaya tha aur use uthate samay chot lag gayi” replied Ram Lal mumbling nervously.

“Oh achaa. Aisa hua hai. Sahi baath hai,” said the inspector walking towards the door and then suddenly ordered his officers, “Arrest Him!”

This sudden and shocking development had bowled everyone over. Nobody could believe what they were witnessing right now. Ram Lal was being held by two officers and taken away. His 18-year-old son was crying and running behind him, trying to push the officers. But his small hands and feeble strength could not match his strong will power to rescue his father. So now there he lay on the floor, sobbing and yelling at the top of his voice.

Nobody was moving, they just stood there like statues because they could not digest the fact that a puny man like Ram Lal, who seemed as harmless as they came, could commit such a gruesome crime. Vibha just couldn’t take the pressure, and lost her balance, sitting on the sofa with a thud, holding her head in her hands sobbing. Abhimanyu’s father could not believe that Ram Lal, his trusted housekeeper, could do something like that. It was all feeling like the worst nightmare, and everyone thought somebody would come and pinch them or burst them out of this horrifying bubble. But this was not to be.

Ram Lal’s son was still lying on the ground, sobbing. So Abhimanyu went to pick him up. But as soon as Abhimanyu picked him up, he pushed away Abhimanyu and ran to the door sobbing.

“Let him go. It’s going to be extremely hard for him to accept the reality, but he will come around,” said Mr. Shekhawat, consoling him.

The sirens and the shouting had gathered a crowd outside, because nothing stays under wraps for long in a small town like Bardez. So the people from around had crowded near the gate now. Even the media vehicles were approaching, and this “dreadful night” was about to become public, and no more remain a secret.

“Suna hai unke naukar ne hi khoon kiya hai?” said a person in the crowd.

“Ha suna tho hai. Lekin kya pata isne hi kiya hai ya nahi. In bade logo ka kya bharosa case dabane ke liye kuch bhi kar sakte hai” answered another person in the crowd.

Ram Lal’s son had caught up with his father again, and now he was also pleading with the inspector to release his father. But all his efforts were in vain as somebody pushed him every time he tried to get through to his father. Now an utterly helpless son just in the heat of the moment pushed one of the officers and pulled the gun from his waist. And now, finally, for the first time, the 18 year-old was able to grab the attention he was pleading for. All the eyes were now on him as he pointed that gun at the inspector.

“Beta vo mujhe dedo!” said the inspector stopping abruptly. “Give that to me son, you need to talk about something? We can do that, but first handover that gun to me,” the inspector continued trying to calm the boy down.

“Baba ne kuch nahi kiya hai!!” yelled the boy, tears gushing down his cheeks. “I know my father. He won’t do anything of this sorts,” he shouted.

The inspector was amazed by the courage of the 18 years-old boy. But then, within seconds, the teenager was on the ground pinned by the officers who had attacked him from behind, and now the gun was back where